Meghan turns 45: Her seven most memorable fashion moments

Meghan Markle has always made a splash with her fashion.

From her time dating Harry, to becoming a British royal, then leaving the UK for America, Meghan’s fashion is known for making an impact.

She changed the face of royal dressing with her modern, California-inspired style, and since leaving active royal duties has been experimenting more – now she doesn’t have a dress code to adhere to.

On Meghan’s 45th birthday, we take a look back at some of her most memorable fashion moments…

1. Her first public appearance with Harry

Harry and Meghan made their first public appearance in September 2017 at the Invictus Games in Toronto.

While Meghan’s look – a crisp white shirt, jeans and sunglasses – might have been casual, this relaxed style became her signature, and set the tone for her fashion as a future royal.

2. A white coat for her engagement

The couple announced their engagement in the Sunken Garden of London’s Kensington Palace in November 2017, with Meghan donning a white, belted wrap coat from Canadian brand Line the Label – with the brand’s website crashing soon after she was photographed in the outfit.

She paired the coat with nude pumps from Aquazzura with criss-cross straps, and that all-important engagement ring: designed by Harry himself, it incorporated one stone from the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and a diamond from Botswana – a place close to his heart.

3. Her scene-stealing bridal outfits

After much anticipation, Meghan wore a Givenchy wedding gown by British designer Clare Waight Keller for her big day. The dress divided opinion: some deemed it too simple for such a big event, but many others praised its timeless elegance.

The gown had a boat neckline, long sleeves and a long train, and was worn with a veil and tiara.

She switched into a more modern outfit for the evening celebrations: a white halterneck gown by Stella McCartney.

4. Introducing Archie to the world

In keeping with her crisp and modern style, when Meghan introduced baby Archie to the world in 2019, she wore a sleeveless trench-meets-tuxedo style dress by British designer Grace Wales Bonner.

In the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex explained that she favoured neutral colours during her time as an active royal, saying: “I wore a lot of muted tones, but it also was so I could just blend in. Like I’m not trying to stand out here.”

5. In a knockout gown

Meghan has attended plenty of events in gorgeous gowns over the years, but this has to be one of her best. In 2020 she attended the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in a bright red gown by up-and-coming British label, Safiyaa.

The outfit was given interest with caped detailing, and Meghan wore an all-red look with matching shoes, earrings and bag. Towards the end of her time as an active royal, Meghan leaned into bright colours – think electric blues and splashy reds.

In the Netflix documentary, she explained why she wore brighter colours during the couple’s farewell tour of the UK: “Until that last week in the UK, I rarely wore colour and I never wanted to upstage or ruffle any feathers, so I just tried to blend in.

“But I wore a lot of colour that week. I felt, ‘Well, let’s just look like a rainbow.’”

6. Her final royal engagement

For her final royal engagement – the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey – Meghan again played with colour in a green Emilia Wickstead cape dress.

The midi dress was paired with a matching hat and nude pumps.

7. Life after the royals

Since moving to California and living life outside of the royal family’s orbit, Meghan has been seen in a lot of casual clothes – like the loose shirts and jeans favoured on her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan.

For more formal events, she’s been experimenting with her fashion, and wearing outfits you wouldn’t necessarily see during a royal engagement. For example, at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in 2023, she wore a teal strapless midi dress with lace detailing and a form-fitting silhouette, by celebrity-favoured brand Cult Gaia.